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17th of Last Seed 4E 201

7pm, near Helgen

Rynandor sat by the fire, reflecting on the days events when the sound of a snapped branch made him turn and rise with the speed and grace that only an Altmer had.

'Wait! Please, don't attack!' shrieked a female voice

Rynandor frowned, 'Come into the light! Slowly.' he ordered

Rynandor was surprised to see a young Dunmer woman - a child really - approach. She was dressed simply, and had clearly been living rough.

'Please, I only wanted to come by the fire.' she pleaded

'Who are you?' he asked

'I am Hlaalu' she answered

'Hlaalu who?'

'Just Hlaalu.'

'Very well, "just Hlaalu" you may approach.' he told her, dispelling his magicka

'Thank you!' she replied, dashing for the fire

Rynandor allowed her to warm herself before speaking again.

'Why did you not simply approach me and ask, instead of skulking about like a common thief?'

'I thought you were a Thalmor, no one wants to get near one of them.'

'Hmm, yes,' he replied, looking at his Thalmor robes 'I can see why you thought so. But fear not! I acquired these through judicious use of a lightning spell. I find wearing them avoids a lot of problems.'

'You attacked a Thalmor Justiciar? But why? You're an Altmer.' she asked, wide eyed

'And any other agent of theirs I find.' Rynandor replied 'Tell me, have you ever heard of "The night of Green Fire"?'

She shook her head.

'I'm not surprised. In the forty-second year of this era The Thalmor attacked the refugee quarter of Sentinel in Hammerfell. They were after Altmer dissidents who had fled Alinor, my parents were two of them. They fought back of course, Magicka was thick in the air that night, as both sides had powerful mages.'

'So what happened?' she asked in a small voice

'By dawn, the refugee quarter was a smoking ruin, and all the Altmer dissidents were dead. Except, obviously my parents. They were saved by the kindness of a Redguard neighbour who showed them an old escape tunnel. I was born a year later, and my parents named me for a hero of the Altmer - another victim of the Thalmor. Rynandor, one of the great seer-mages of the third era. Rynandor the Bold! It was his leadership and sorcery that made the Daedra pay such a high price for their destruction of the Crystal Tower. I quote now from Rising Threat:'

"The Thalmor besmirched his name when he had the audacity to publicly doubt and question their role in ending the Oblivion Crisis on Summerset Isle. Rynandor made the mistake of ignoring the consensus gentium, trusting instead to logic and facts. The shrewdness of the Thalmor, however, was not such to allow something as trivial as the truth stand in their way. As soon as they shifted the collective opinion ever so slightly against Rynandor, they had him sequestered and intensified their efforts to tarnish his reputation. Unable to mount any sort of defense to the Thalmor's attacks, Rynandor was quickly denounced and exiled."

'I'm sure you can guess what happened next.' he concluded darkly

'They had him killed? For telling the truth?'

'Yes, and I am sworn to avenge him, and all others who have suffered at their hands!'

At a loss for anything else to say, Hlaalu pointed towards the still smoking ruin of Helgen

'Did you see what did that?'

'Yes, I was tracking a Thalmor patrol, and I had just finished dispatching one of them when I saw a large black dragon swoop down from the sky, and set about attacking the place - it was not a pleasant sight to behold.'

'A dragon! But how, aren't they all dead?'

'Plainly not. I don't know what this, means but I'm sure we'll see more of the beasts before long.'

'Azura guide us!' she exclaimed fearfully

'Now, young lady, you know my story, I think it only fair that I know yours. I am most intrigued as to why you only refer to yourself as "Hlaalu" for example.'

'OK, that's fair I suppose. I grew up under another name, after Morrowind was abandoned by the Empire, the other Great Houses stripped House Hlaalu of its status. After then, to be a Hlaalu was to scorned - spat on in the street, property stolen and no justice. The head branch fled, and the cadet branches scattered, taking on false names, teaching the young ones their true name, and to keep it secret. One day, I was found out - I don't know how. But I was, and the farmer I was working for threw me out without the pay he owed me, and only the clothes on my back. From that day forth I swore that the only name I'd give was Hlaalu, and damn any N'wah that has a problem with it!'

'So why come to Skyrim?'

'I heard a rumour that the heir to the house had a farm near Whiterun - or was it Winterhold? Somewhere beginning with "w" anyway.'

'Well then, I will help you.' Rynandor said solemnly

'Really!?' she asked excitedly

'Yes, I had planed on staying in Skyrim anyway. With all the Thalmor out looking for Talos worshipers I can really thin their numbers here.'

'So why did you come to Skyrim?' Hlaalu asked the Altmer

'Me? To hunt Thalmor, did I not just say so?' he replied evasively

'No, the other reason.'

'Confound it, but you're a clever one! All right, I'll tell you. I found out that one of my relatives is with the Legion, and has been stationed somewhere here.'

'Oh, good! We can help each other find our families!' she said happily

'Yes, quite' Rynandor replied curtly